FAB FACIAL WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!

The Urban Beauty Bar proudly announces the winner of our recent contest: "Fab Facial". 

We asked our fans to make a sign with what skin care issue they would like the free facial to help address if they were to be the winner. Next, they were asked to take a picture of themselves holding it and then post it on our Facebook Fan Page.

Thankfully, we left the decision for who our winner would be to a random pulling of names from a hat....the good old fashioned way! :) It's too much pressure to actually have to decide between the contestants so random draws are great! Haha!

Alright, alright....I'll stop babbling and get on to the actual announcement!

 

DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....

The winner of the Fab Facial Contest is........Jessica Karadsheh from Toronto! Congratulations Jessica! Be sure to contact our staff at The Urban Beauty Bar to schedule your facial!

Here is Jessica's photo entry....

Thank you to everyone who entered our Fab Facial Contest. Be sure to check our social media sites for different ways to enter our contests and updates on our promos!

Our website:  http://theurbanbeautybar.com

Urban Buzz:  http://theurbanbeautybar.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/BarRoomBetty

Facebook Fan Page:  http://www.facebook.com/TheUrbanBeautyBar 

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

Facial Savings Tips...

Facial Savings Tips...

There are plenty of reasons as to why you should get a monthly facial. Of course, not everyone can afford to go to their fav spa/salon to get an hour facial every month....but you can certainly find a few ways to save a few dollars to enjoy more frequent visits. Check out these great tips!

Look for a spa/salon that offers new clients a deal or discount.

For example, The Urban Beauty Bar offers a 20% discount to new clients. This is a one time deal, but could save you a few dollars to put towards your next facial.

Go for a shorter or "express" facial in place of the 60 minute facial.

Admit it - whether it's a 30 minute or 60 minute facial you are getting, you're face is still loving the attention! :) You could get a 30 minute facial instead of a full hour. It's not as much time away from being at work or caring for the kids...but it's still "me" time that is well received by...well, pretty much everyone! You are still getting the benefits of a facial and good cleansing, but again, saving a little money to increase the frequency.

Package deals!

Another way to save a little bit of money would be to ask your spa about package deals. Of course The Urban Beauty Bar offers that too! If you want to save a bit of your cash, ask about the package deals that are offered. For example, The Urban Beauty Bar offers 60 minute Rejuvenating Facials at $70, but if you purchase a package deal of 4....you only pay $235. That's a savings of $45! Not everyone lists these packages on their website, but it doesn't hurt to ask!

Check out our posts this week as we focus on facials and why it is important to get your monthly facial. Your skin will love you for it!

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

Facial Fab......another fab contest!

Another fab contest is being brought to you by....The Urban Beauty Bar! Please people, please....settle down! ;)

We recently posed a question on our Facebook Fan Page: "The Urban Beauty Bar is going to have a new contest shortly. What would you like to see as the prize?" The results are in and apparently you would like a facial as the prize. Your wish is my command! Buuuuut, you can't get an entry for just looking pretty. No, no....the are some rules! (don't worry....they are actually kinda fun).

You must follow ALL rules in order to be entered into the draw.

1)  Visit our Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/TheUrbanBeautyBar

2)  "Like" the posting titled "Facial Fab".

3)   Get a piece of paper. Now write down (in marker so that it is legible) what skin care issue you would like the free facial to help address if you were the winner. Mine happens to be to combat dry skin. What's your's??

Like this.......

4)   Take a photo of yourself, holding the sign and post your photo on our Facebook fan page. Tag yourself in the photo and at least one friend.

Like this......

Ta-da! You are all done! Ohh, don't forget to "like" our fan page while you're there! Actually, while you are at it, "follow" us on Twitter too! https://twitter.com/#!/BarRoomBetty

What exactly is the prize, you say? The Urban Beauty Bar is giving away a Rejuvenating Facial valued at over $80! The contest will run from March 24th - April 24th, 2012. The winner will be announced on April 25th once all entries have been verified.

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

Bath Infusables Are Here!!

If you read our blog we posted yesterday about our bath salts, you're probably wondering what "bath infusables" are. The staff at The Urban Beauty Bar put their heads together and came up with a great idea for those that enjoy taking a soothing bath.  

Special blends with created with dried flowers and herbs along with essential oils to give you a fantastic smelling bath experience. We have created three wonderful and unique blends: SENSUAL, HARMONY and BLISS.

A box of two "infusables" packets are sold at $6 plus taxes.

BLISS:  Ahh, summer. Ripe fruits and blooming flowers...now that is BLISS! Add your “BLISS bath infusables” to your bath to bring summer into bath time!....Ingredients include dried daises and mangoes infused with orange leaf essential oil. 

HARMONY:  Aching joints and muscles? The “HARMONY bath infusables” is just what your bath...and body need. Harmony is just a bath away....Ingredients include dried rose petals and lavender flower infused with lavender and rosemary essential oils.

SENSUAL:   Looking to unwind after a long day? Drop a “SENSUAL bath infusables” into your bath and let the dried flowers and essential oils take you away....Ingredients include dried rose petals infused with vanilla absolute and jasmine absolute essential oils.

What do the actual "infusables" look like? 

Helloooooo!!

<<--------------Take a look at this snazzy picture!

I know what you`re asking. Where can you buy these, right? :) I knew you would ask! The Urban Beauty Bar is offering these and other health and wellness products within our studio in Toronto's west end. If you would like to stop by, drop us an email. You can always get them shipped out to you or direct to a friend if you are purchasing as a gift. Thank goodness for online shopping!

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

RESTORE & ENERGY....Sound great to me!!

As I'm sure you've noticed....the blogging has come to a hault the last few weeks. For good reason of course! The staff at The Urban Beauty Bar have been working hard on some exciting new products we are launching. Hopefully, you are just as excited as we are! You are?? Yay!!

We have some of our health and wellness products ready for a sale! Of course we have our therapeutic pillows that everyone loves, but we are also introducing bath salts. We also have another new product that we like to call our "bath infusables" which are infusable bags filled with dried herbs/flowers and essential oils.

For those interested in the bath salts.....here is the info you are looking for. Check back tomorrow for product info on our "bath infusables" product line.

RESTORE Bath Salts
Bath salts infused with rosemary and lavender essential oils and lavender flower. This is a great bath salt for those needing a relaxing and restorative "time out".

It is often suggested that an epsom salt bath is a good idea after an intensive massage therapy session or a hard workout where your muscles need a break. An excellent way to infuse a bit of aromatherapy into your epsom salt bath is with the RESTORE bath salts.

Price: $8 plus tax

ENERGY Bath Salts 

Bath salts infused with peppermint, ginger, rosemary, lemon, cedarwood, bergamot, patchouli EO & yellow roses.
 

For those looking for a more of an uplifting scent, the ENERGY bath salts are your best bet! This is a great bath salt for those needing an invigorating boost of energy.

Price: $8 plus tax

RESTORE Bath Salts

ENERGY Bath Salts

       









Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina
The Urban Beauty Bar



A Mother's Day Steal!

Mother's Day is coming up and people have been asking for a special package deal for the lady that brought you into the world. As usual, The Urban Beauty Bar is happy to oblige! Of course, no one said that the deal has to be just for Mom! Why not get a deal for yourself as well?

After staring at our service menu for a while, we came up with this as the package....drum roll please........

$50 plus tax gets you this fantastic package:

30 minute Calming Facial

Paraffin Hand Treatment

and your choice of one of the two:

Anti-Aging Eye Treatment
or
Anti-Puffiness Treatment 

These promo gift certificates will be available for purchase from March 22 to May 22, 2012 and can be used within a year of the date of purchase. You will be given the lovely card shown below to present to your Mom, or whoever you feel like buying for. :)

Questions about our services or package deals? Give us a call or email sometime. nina@theurbabeautybar.com     647.232.6826

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

True & Falsies: #13 - Discolour Your World

"Is it a fact that if you always wear dark nail polish that it can discolour your nails?”

********** FACT ********** 

It’s a fact indeed! The result of wearing dark nail polish all of the time, is that the nail your nail may begin to reveal a yellow discolouring. Not exactly the fancy nail colour you want to be sporting, is it? Ha! Likely not. Brown, burgundy, and red based nail polishes contain darker pigments that leave behind that stain especially if you didn’t use a base coat. Tisk, tisk!

There is of course, the possibility that your nail polish contains formaldehyde which could very well be causing the problem. Or at least adding to it! Formaldehyde is a chemical that can react with the keratin protein in your nails and make them yellow and brittle. This is one of the reasons The Urban Beauty Bar uses China Glaze – no formaldehyde! Not to worry though, the staining should resolve over the course of a few weeks if the same color of polish is not reapplied.

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

True & Falsies: #12 - Sharing makeup is like trading germs.

"A few of my girlfriends and I were touching up our makeup in the ladies room at a party we were all attending when one friend asked another to borrow her mascara. She went ahead and lent it, but isn’t sharing makeup with your friends like trading germs?”

********** TRUE **********

I have always kept the rule that I don’t share my cosmetics with anyone. Sure, your friend’s new lip gloss may look amazing. Amazing enough to make you want to try it, but you should leave the sample for in-store instead.

Just make sure the beauty counter advisor cleans their brushes before using them on you. If not, run away!! It would be even better if they use disposable applicators. This way, the testers won't become contaminated.

Brushes and make up applicators pick up quite a bit of bacteria. This is a good reason as to why you should also be regularly cleaning your brushes and applicators. Who needs an eye infection? Or a nasty rash on your cheek? Not this girl!!

Cheers to beauty-ful days!

Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

Tip of the Week - Stop using your nails as tools!

Stop using your nails as tools! Increase your calcium intake instead.

That’s right, a NO to scratching, digging, picking, etc. Oh ya, I know who you are! Stay away from using products containing alcohol too. You should also consider increasing the amount of calcium in your diet. Intake is important because your body loses calcium every day through the skin, nails, hair, sweat, etc.. You can find it in almonds, tofu, sesame seeds, or you can pick up a supplement from your local health foods store.

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina
The Urban Beauty Bar

True & Fasies #11: Say bye, bye to the oldies!

"Beauty products should be thrown out after a certain amount of time. Right?”

********** TRUE **********

That's right — though it sounds like you aren’t too sure about your answer! Beauty products have an expiration date on them, but what if it’s a product you don’t use very often or very much of? It may take you quite some time to use up all of the product.

Once you have opened a product, you should keep in mind that your product needs to be thrown out after a certain amount of time. How do you figure out when that is? Well, since you are all so great, I have them listed for you below.

Please note that cosmetics listed as organic or natural, which do not include preservatives, can be stored up to 6 months after opening. Why is that? The absence of preservatives leads to a proliferation of bacteria.

General period after opening is:

Powders – 1 to 3 years
Foundation in a jar or a cream powder – 1 to 3 years
Liquid foundation - 1 year
Nail polish – 1 year
Sun products – 1 year (but no more than one season)
Lipstick, lip gloss – 1 year
Pencil (Eye, Lip) – 6 to 8 months
Skin care products (moisturizers, eye cream, etc) in a sealed packet with a pump – 1 year

Skin care products (moisturizers, eye cream, etc) in a jar – 8 to 10 months
Mascara – 3 months
Liquid eyeliner – 3 to 4 months
Natural/Organic products – up to 6 months

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina
The Urban Beauty Bar

CONTEST WINNER!

Hello to all Urban Buzz followers! As you all know, we recently had a contest for Facebook users. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=297949020255957&set=a.185018564882337.56217.184405448276982&type=1&theater


The contest was for one of The Urban Beauty Bar's therapeutic neck rolls. A soothing remedy for sore joints and muscles if placed to heat in a microwave or used as a cold compress if placed in the freezer.

Here is what all of you had to do in order to qualify....

Step 1: "LIKE" The Urban Beauty Bar's fan page
Step 2: "LIKE" the contest photo
Step 3: SHARE the contest photo on at least one friend's wall.

 

I know, I know....you all want to know who the winner is. Ok, folks....drum roll please......The lucky winner of contest is Christine Fernandez of Mississauga!!!

Thank you to all who participated. We are very happy to see that many of you participated in our contest and are interested in the product. For those that are interested in more information regarding our therapeutic pillows, please contact frontdesk@theurbanbeautybar.com

Christine, please contact frontdesk@theurbanbeautybar.com with you complete mailing address and contact information.


Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

 

Tip of the Week - Mist-ify Those Cracked Lips

Try a cool mist humidifier in your bedroom while you sleep to help combat constant cracked lips.

Constant cracked lips can be a sign of dehydration. Chapped, dry lips can be caused a variety of things from sun, cosmetics and bitter winds. Try a cool mist humidifier in your bedroom while you sleep. Make sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day. No, those 3 coffees a day don’t count!! In fact, they count against you since caffeine is dehydrating.

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina
The Urban Beauty Bar

True & Falsies #10 - Make It Grow Faster!!

"I can't remember where I heard this, but I always heard that getting frequent trims makes your hair grow faster. Is that true?"

********** FALSE **********

I know some of us are looking for the solution to making your hair grow faster. You might have better luck finding some magical fairy dust and sprinkling it on your head!! The truth is hair grows at the same rate regardless of whether or not it’s being cut. Of course each individual is slightly different depending on certain factors such as hormone levels, diet, and usage of styling aids, among others.

Your regular trim certainly makes your hair look better, but that’s because it’s eliminating your split ends. This is what makes hair look thinner and shorter at the ends. “Removing split ends will keep your hair looking healthier, but don't forget your scalp!! Follicle stimulation can also aid in hair growth by receiving head massage, scalp treatments, etc...” says Kelly Rushlow, licensed hair stylist at Kelly’s Esthetics.

Suggestion for the day? Visit your stylist every 8 weeks or so for maintenance. If you would like to keep the length but keep it healthy – make sure your stylist takes off the minimum necessary just to eliminate those crazy split ends.

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

Tip of the Week - Get Mega of the Omegas!

Eat some salmon, a walnut, even some cauliflower perhaps? Increase your intake of OMEGAS!

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids and are similar to the skin’s natural oils and help the skin produce more. The skin does have its own natural oils, but at times can suffer from a lack of oil. Many things can be a factor, such as too much sun/wind, smoking, excessive use of  caffeine or alcohol to name a few. With increased Omega intake, you’ll find an improvement in your nails, skin and your hair. A pretty good reason to get healthier and to look and feel better!!


Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina
The Urban Beauty Bar

True & Falsies #9 - Exfoliatio​n City

I feel as if companies just say that I need a facial and body exfoliator as a marketing tool to make you buy more than one product for the same use. I can just use my body exfoliator on my face, correct?

********** FALSE **********

Ummmm......try again? I realise it gets a bit costly once you factor in the variety of products you need for your skin, but different skin needs different products. The fact is, the skin on your face isn’t the same as the skin on the rest of your body.


The skin on your face contains a higher number of oil glands and is also more delicate and much thinner. Facial products and body care products are created differently to address and specific needs. Also, you may want to keep in mind that while you may have oily skin on your face, you may have dry skin on the rest of your body. Just some helpful tips for you!

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

Beauty and Wellness - Hand In Hand

I spent a wonderful night with my good friend Cee at the Grand Opening of West Toronto Wellness Centre last night. It was great fun having a few laughs and sharing a drink with some fantastic people! There was a really positive vibe in the centre as everyone buzzed around checking out products and the gorgeous space itself.

I know, I know....I’m all about beauty so why promote a wellness centre? Clearly you haven’t been reading my blogs! Healthy living plays a big role in having great skin, hair and nails. It starts from within your body and shows through on the outside. So when Cee invited me to the grand opening....how could I resist?

It’s always nice to meet people who share my love for beauty but also for wellness. Karryn Arato is one of those fine people! She is the proud co-owner of West Toronto Wellness Centre, along with Dona-Marie McCowan, which is conveniently located across the street from Keele subway station.

The West Toronto Wellness Centre provides a variety of services including; colon hydrotherapy, ear candling, hot stone massage, homeopathy, lymphatic drainage, medical intuition, nutritional support, spirit coaching and thermography.

I won’t drone on forever, but I will leave you with her info for you to follow up on and a fab photo of Karryn (left) and myself (right).

Karryn Arato, West Toronto Wellness Centre.

1719 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON. M6P 1B2
416.497.9968   http://www.wtwellness.ca

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar

Tip of the Week - Get a good, moisturizing hand cream for the winter months.

Get a good, moisturising hand cream for the winter months.

The cold air leaves our hands feeling dry and chapped. You know you need some hand cream if your skin is so dry it’s snagging a thread or two on your favourite sweater! In the winter months, especially for those on the East coast, using body lotion isn’t going to cut it. Your hands need their own special treat, especially in the dead of winter.

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina
The Urban Beauty Bar

True & Falsies #8 - Balance Is Key

I have combination-oily skin and I prefer using a foam cleanser or soap. My beauty product addict friend says it’s not necessary to use soap. She suggests I can use a cream or oil based cleanser. Can you settle our dispute? Please tell me I'm right in thinking I should avoid oil based products!

********** FALSE ***********

Your friend is actually right....which unfortunately for you means you are wrong. Oil and or cream cleansers can be used to cleanse the face it really depends on the types of oil ingredients in those cleansers. Our body is constantly replenishing itself.


What exactly does that mean? Well, we have what are called sebaceous glands (microscopic glands in the skin that secrete an oily/waxy matter, called sebum, to lubricate and waterproof the skin and hair of mammals). By constantly removing dirt, oil and make up with soap or foam; you may be aggravating the skin and forcing it to create more oil.


Using oils or products that include oils like sesame, jojoba and soy; can all serve as balancing mechanisms for the skin. What you don’t want are cleansers and or oils that contain petroleum or mineral oil.


What to do? Call or email your skin care therapist pronto. He/she can recommend products with the proper essential oil formula for your skin. What you’ll end up with is balanced, happy skin!

Cheers to beauty-ful days!
Nina

The Urban Beauty Bar